BILLIE JEAN KING CUP

November 20, 2024

Tathiana Garbin

Jasmine Paolini

Elisabetta Cocciaretto

Lucia Bronzetti

Sara Errani

Martina Trevison

Team Italy

Press Conference

J. PAOLINI/R. Sramkova

6-2, 6-1

Team Slovakia - 0

Team Italy - 2

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations to the whole team, Italy. They are the winners of the Billie Jean King Cup.

(Applause.)

THE MODERATOR: Let's start the press conference. Questions first in English.

Q. Congratulations. My first question will be for Sara. Is your fourth title in this competition, and you're the oldest player of the team, if I'm not mistaken. What was your role during the competition? Do you give advice to the players? You said how you gave advice to Jasmine in doubles, but more generally, what was your role during these few days in Malaga?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: The brain of the team. (Laughter.)

SARA ERRANI: I'm just one more of the team and so happy to be back in this team. We know each other so well from long, long time. It's so nice to be here. We had a really good week. We had a lot of fun. We play good tennis. So I'm really proud to be part of this team.

Q. Congratulations. Whoever player, how do you feel to be here, to have won the trophy for Italy but also for your captain, for Tathiana?

JASMINE PAOLINI: Yeah, it feels amazing. It's a big competition. You play for your country, you play for your team, for the players, but also for all the staff that's behind the scenes.

For Tathiana, last year was a tough moment in this period. You know, we are glad that we are all here with the trophy. It's something. It's a plus. You know, the important thing is that she's healthy, she's okay now with us, and this is a plus, I think (indicating trophy).

Q. Tathiana, last year obviously you fell at this moment in the final. How did you approach today? What message did you give to the team at the beginning of the day?

CAPTAIN TATHIANA GARBIN: Actually, I came here this year, and for me was a gift, because as you know, last year was a difficult moment.

But I have all the team behind me, and that's why on the bench and to try to give courage and to support them, because is what they have done to me in the tough moments.

I'm very glad to be here. I'm very proud of this these girls, as I say many times, but I have to tell again how proud of these human beings, not just the champions they are. They are really a great team.

As Sara said before, we enjoy this moment. Every time we stay together we find a way to smile, and I think the important thing, as all my players, they smile during the competition. It's not easy in the tough moment. They try to enjoy this moment. I think is the goal of every captain to have a team like this. I'm so proud of them.

Q. Jasmine, could you just talk about how fun it is being involved in these team events and how different they are from just regular singles events?

JASMINE PAOLINI: I like a lot, honestly. It's a nice way also to finish the year. You have, like, more energy from your colleagues and all the team. So it's a good way to end the season. I really enjoy to being in a group. We have a lot of fun. We smile a lot.

We play UNO after dinner (smiling). We fight, as well. Somebody's getting more nervous, like Lucia. (Laughter.)

But, you know, after the game we are friends again. So, no, we have so much fun, so personally I like so much to play for my country but also with the team, you know.

Q. Congratulations, everybody. A question for the captain and for Jasmine. Can you talk about the moment of receiving the jackets from Billie Jean King and just what you make of this tradition? And if there were any shared words between you? I know you guys talked to her, if you can give us some of the highlights from that conversation.

CAPTAIN TATHIANA GARBIN: Actually, we change the jacket. I gave mine, and she gave me this one.

Yeah, it's an honor to talk with Billie. She's a legend. Every time she talk, she can tell you something very important. So I take every time words she say and trying to keep and learn something from her. She's the one who change the game.

We have to be honor to have her here, because she change the way woman is treating. Not just in sport but in all the situation, because we have to learn how to fight, to have the opportunity, as a woman, to lead.

So it's an honor to have her there (smiling).

JASMINE PAOLINI: I think the same. She have done so much for female tennis. So it's a pleasure, a privilege to have her here, you know. It's always nice and interesting to share some words with her.

I think it's a really interesting people. She's an icon. So it's nice to play this competition that has her name now. Yeah, it's perfect, I mean, to have a competition with her name for me.

Q. A question for Jasmine. When you lost in the final last year, if I told you then that a year later you would have reached two Grand Slam finals and won the Billie Jean King Cup, what would you have said?

JASMINE PAOLINI: Impossible (smiling). No, this year was crazy, and to finish like that, it's a dream.

At the beginning of the week, I didn't think that we end the week with the trophy, because it's always tough to play this competition, big matches. You never know, you know, who is playing, who's not, how you feel on the court.

So for me, it's really tough to play well and to have the title in this competition, and I'm glad that we were able to do it. It's not easy, you know, after the last year that we lost in the final, and have to say Canada last year played amazing tennis.

But this year we played amazing tennis (smiling). So we deserve it, I think.

Q. Jasmine, would you say 2024, when you look back on the year, that this is the year of Italian tennis when you reached two major finals, reached career high No. 4, you have won the Billie Jean King Cup, Jannik is No. 1 in the world, wins two majors and the season-ending Championship and is in the Final 8 for Davis Cup?

JASMINE PAOLINI: I think it's unbelievable year for Italian tennis. It's so good for our sport in our country. We have a lot of fun now in Italy, fun of tennis, you know. Tennis is growing a lot, and I think it's really good.

It's really good also to have Jannik as World No. 1. He's really an example for everybody. Nice personality.

So it's good, you know. I think was an unbelievable year. I mean, yes, was an unbelievable year, I have to say (smiling). If I look back, I say yes. You're right. It was unbelievable, yeah.